Swami explained ‘sakshi’ in the following way: There is a
principle of ‘sakshi’ or witness in every one of us. Witness
is the aspect which is unaffected by the experience. Witness is the
experiencer. Experience and experiencer are separate. Seeing and
seer are separate. Hearing and hearer or listener, are separate. So,
this sakshi, the witness in me, is the seer and not the seen.
He is the hearer, but not hearing. That experiencer in me is the
witness. The experiencer is Divine. The experiencer is unaffected by
bumps and jumps in life. The experiencer is not affected by
anything.

"What do You mean? I suffer. Why do You say I don’t experience
suffering? I enjoy pie, donuts and all that. I like cool drinks and
ice cream. Why do You say I don’t enjoy? What nonsense You speak?"

"I am not speaking any nonsense. There’s some sense in it. The
experiencer appears as if he experiences because of the mind. It is
only the mind that experiences – good experience-bad experience,
praise-blame, profit-loss, elation-frustration, pride, and ego,
depression – that’s all the experience of the mind. But even the
mind functions because of the witness, sakshi.

There may be a state when mind does not function. A simple example:
When you are in deep sleep in the night, when there are no dreams,
nothing; there is witness. There is no mind. It is a no-mind state,
what you also call annihilation of the mind or withdrawal of the
mind or absence of the mind. It is only the mind that experiences.
So, when the witness is affected for the mind to function, it
appears as if you are experiencing. Actually the witness does not
experience. It is only the witness to different stages of
experiences. It is the mind that is the cause and the response to
different types of experiences."

There was a talk given by a scholar on dualism. In dualism we think
of the devotee and God as separate. The devotee never merges into
God. There’s nothing like oneness. So the individual and the Divine
are separate. This is what is called dualism.

After this speaker finished his talk, there was no time for a
question and answer session to answer the doubts of any of the
listeners. So Anil Kumar brought his questions to the darshan
line and Swami.

Bhagavan started inquiring about the guest speaker: "What did he
speak?" They had some of the points that the scholar spoke. Swami
said, "Yes, yes, nice, nice." But as Anil Kumar had some doubts, he
wanted to ask Swami. Swami mischievously said, "You’ll find the
speaker sitting over there. You go and ask him. Why don’t you ask
him?"

"Swami, the speaker didn’t find time to clarify my doubts. He didn’t
call for any question and answer session. I too have some doubts."

Swami said, "What is the doubt?"

"The doubt is this: The speaker mentioned three words – clay or mud,
pot and the potter. But he has not said what they stand for. What is
the clay? What is the pot? Who is the potter? What has it got to do
with the Vedanta of dualism?" I asked.

Swami said, "Come on, I take you to him. You talk to him."

Then Swami asked, "What else?"

"Swami, the speaker said that the devotee will never merge in the
Divine according to dualistic philosophy. According to that school
of thought, the individual does not find identity with the Divine.
Then the speaker said that after death, a devotee should not be born
again."

And Swami said, "Then what?"

Then I said, "Swami, if he (the devotee) is not going to merge in
God, if he is not going to be born again, where is he going to live?
Suspension! Where is he? Either there or here? I don’t know." He
said, "You are here anyway!"

"My third doubt is this: The speaker also mentioned one word ‘sakshi’.
‘Sakshi’ means witness. He did not explain who the witness
is. Who is the witness in me? What do you mean by witness? These are
my three doubts," I said.

Out of His compassion, Swami clarified these doubts, which I want to
share with you, in the reverse order. Bhagavan explains in such a
way that you’ll not have doubts at any point of time. Easily you can
follow.

Anil Kumar related various recent stories and conversation devotees
have had with Swami. He began by relating a recent incident, which
followed a talk given by a scholar on dualism. In dualism we think
of the devotee and God as separate. The devotee never merges into
God. There’s nothing like oneness. So the individual and the Divine
are separate. This is what is called dualism.

After this speaker finished his talk, there was no time for a
question and answer session to answer the doubts of any of the
listeners. So Anil Kumar brought his questions to the darshan
line and Swami.

Bhagavan started inquiring about the guest speaker: "What did he
speak?" They had some of the points that the scholar spoke. Swami
said, "Yes, yes, nice, nice." But as Anil Kumar had some doubts, he
wanted to ask Swami. Swami mischievously said, "You’ll find the
speaker sitting over there. You go and ask him. Why don’t you ask
him?"

"Swami, the speaker didn’t find time to clarify my doubts. He didn’t
call for any question and answer session. I too have some doubts."

Swami said, "What is the doubt?"

"The doubt is this: The speaker mentioned three words – clay or mud,
pot and the potter. But he has not said what they stand for. What is
the clay? What is the pot? Who is the potter? What has it got to do
with the Vedanta of dualism?" I asked.

Swami said, "Come on, I take you to him. You talk to him."

Then Swami asked, "What else?"

"Swami, the speaker said that the devotee will never merge in the
Divine according to dualistic philosophy. According to that school
of thought, the individual does not find identity with the Divine.
Then the speaker said that after death, a devotee should not be born
again."

And Swami said, "Then what?"

Then I said, "Swami, if he (the devotee) is not going to merge in
God, if he is not going to be born again, where is he going to live?
Suspension! Where is he? Either there or here? I don’t know."

He said, "You are here anyway!"

"My third doubt is this: The speaker also mentioned one word ‘sakshi’.
‘Sakshi’ means witness. He did not explain who the witness
is. Who is the witness in me? What do you mean by witness? These are
my three doubts," I said.

Out of His compassion, Swami clarified these doubts, which I want to
share with you, in the reverse order. Bhagavan explains in such a
way that you’ll not have doubts at any point of time. Easily you can
follow.

Let us try to understand this statement: God is the witness in
everyone. The witness in you, the witness in me, the witness in
everyone, is God Himself. Who is the witness to God? No one. There’s
nothing like ‘sakshi’ in Divinity – no separate witness. When
He is the witness in me, He has no other witness.

Another point: God is the One-without-a-second. Swami always tells
this. Whenever Swami says, "God is only one", when I translate it,
immediately Swami says, "Not two. Not two. Only One; not two." Why
should He say, "Not two" - because we are always dual. We are always
divided. We’re always fragmented, segmented.

God is the witness in everyone and He has no other witness because
He’s the One-without-a-second. He’s the only One-without-a-second.
It’s a simple, innocent statement. It carries so much of depth, a
profound statement.